New York Liberty return favor, edge Connecticut Sun at buzzer

Marc Allard mallard@norwichbulletin.com, (860) 425-4212 mallardnb

Wednesday

Jul 11, 2018 at 2:42 PMJul 11, 2018 at 8:58 PM

MOHEGAN – Payback was sweet for the New York Liberty on Wednesday.“In the high-five line, all of (the Liberty players) were smiling. It was like ‘See, it evened out.’ (New York center) Tina (Charles) said ‘We owed you that one.’ I was like, ‘Whatever, Tina,’” Connecticut Sun forward Chiney Ogwumike saidCall it Karma.On June 7, Shekinna Stricklen buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Sun to a victory at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, N.Y.A month later, Shavonte Zellous finally answered Stricklen’s basket. She lofted a 3-point shot over Connecticut’s Courtney Williams just before the final buzzer sounded to give the Liberty a 79-76 victory before 7,413 at Mohegan Sun Arena. “Good, not because of the game-winner, it’s good because we got an actual win,” Zellous said of how she felt about her last-second heroics. “We’ve had some adversity this season, so to come here against a very good Connecticut team and get the win, it’s a plus for us.”It was just the sixth win in 20 games for the Liberty this year.The Sun finally had a full roster back for the game. Alyssa Thomas, out since June 13 with a shoulder injury, played 2 ½ minutes shy of the whole game against New York and finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.Courtney Williams, who missed a four-game West Coast swing after a reported altercation with former teammate Alex Bentley, came off the bench to deliver 16 points.The new face on the team, Layshia Clarendon, whom the Sun acquired when they traded Bentley to Atlanta, finished with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting and three rebounds.“I think Jasmine (Thomas) and I complement each other really well, coming in and bringing that same energy and defense and helping her run the offense,” Clarendon said. “I was nervous with a brand new team and thought the chemistry would feel really off, but it was pretty good. We ran some similar stuff in Atlanta, so I’m familiar with it and picked it up really quickly.”But having all 12 players in the fold can be as much a curse as it is a blessing. Figuring out how to mesh them all together and what combinations work and what ones don’t will be something that will occupy a lot of coach Curt Miller’s time over the next couple of weeks.The Sun (10-10) built as much as a 10-point lead on the Liberty in the first half, but could not shut the door. New York rallied and took its first lead since the first quarter when Kia Vaughn made it 47-45 with 3:25 left in the third quarter.After a series of lead changes, the Sun looked like they were going to take control with just under five minutes to play.Jasmine Thomas, who had been held to just four points in the first three quarters, finally found a route to the basket. “I thought she managed the game early, but it was hard,” Sun coach Curt Miller said. “They shelled the lane and barely guarded anyone outside of 15 feet and we didn’t shoot the three well (4-for-15 from beyond the arc). It was not until the fourth that we got Jas(mine) to the rim.” Jasmine Thomas stole the ball and was fouled with 4:25 left and the Sun trailing by a point. She hit the two free throws to give Connecticut a 67-66 lead.After another Liberty turnover, Thomas hit another basket to put the Sun up by three. She missed a 3-pointer following another New York turnover but Ogwumike (17 points) grabbed the rebound and was successful on the follow.The Liberty and Sun traded 3-pointers before New York put down two unanswered baskets to cut the deficit to one.It was Jasmine Thomas, who finished with 12 points, who put the Sun up by three, 76-73, on a drive with 1:07 left.“At the end of the game, I found a way to get to the rim. All of my points in the fourth quarter came from getting to the basket- you can wear them down,” Jasmine Thomas said.New York missed a shot, but got the ball back with 31 seconds left when Alyssa Thomas was called for an offensive foul.Epiphanny Prince buried an open 3-pointer with 24 seconds left. “It was a no-help, no-double, no 3-point possession and our teammates are so programmed that when they saw one of our players fall, their natural instinct was to go and help,” Miller said. “It left a wide-open 3-pointer to tie the game. You feel awful for that decision, but it’s how you are programmed.” Jasmine Thomas had a chance to put the Sun back ahead, but her 25-foot, 3-pointer hit the side of the rim and was rebounded by New York’s Brittany Boyd with 1.8 seconds left.“I would like that back,” Jasmine Thomas said. “It was how they were guarding me all night with the ball screens, switching and backing up. I would have liked to get to the rim, but I felt like the shot was there.” Zellous followed with the game winner.“You can’t change the record, it is what it is and we are .500 right now,” Jasmine Thomas said. “Are we capable of being better than this? Yes. Do I believe we are going to be better than that? Absolutely. It’s about figuring it out and turning it around. I think we will.”

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